Twitter has exploded over reports US President Donald Trump used a fundraising speech with donors to brag about lying to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump was referring to supposed trade deficits.

According to the Washington Post, audio obtained of the speech reveals how Trump told a fundraiser on Wednesday that he made up trade statistics with America’s closest ally. Trump’s recounting of his meeting with Trudeau suggests the president lied to his political ally about trade without knowing the facts.

“Trudeau came to see [me]. He’s a good guy, Justin. He said: ‘No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, Please,” Trump reportedly said at the Wednesday event. “Nice guy, good-looking guy, comes in – ‘Donald, we have no trade deficit.’ So, he’s proud. I said, ‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know… I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong, Justin.’

Trump continued: “I sent one of our guys out, his guy, my guy, they went out, I said: ‘Check, because I can’t believe it. ‘Well, sir, you’re actually right.’” The report sparked turmoil on Twitter, with internet denizens branding Trump a ‘liar’ and ‘sociopath’ for the alleged remarks.

In summary: Trump *was* making up facts in his meeting with Trudeau, but I’m extremely doubtful that the rest of this story is non-fictional. It’s quite possibly even more bizarre: he’s adding a new lie about how he was proven right about his old lie.

Now we have Trump bragging that he can be uninformed and make up stuff about one of our closest allies and get away with it. Alternative facts gone international. He is seizing power and swerving towards dictatorship at an alarming pace now. https://t.co/9FbEhUe1Ow

Meanwhile, some Twitterati wrestled with working out what Trump’s intentions were in even recounting the incident, and others pointed out that Trudeau is unlikely to have taken the chat at face value.

In summary: Trump *was* making up facts in his meeting with Trudeau, but I’m extremely doubtful that the rest of this story is non-fictional. It’s quite possibly even more bizarre: he’s adding a new lie about how he was proven right about his old lie.

Trump later took to Twitter himself to reaffirm his comments to the Canadian prime minister, saying that the US does have a trade deficit with its neighbors to the north.

We do have a Trade Deficit with Canada, as we do with almost all countries (some of them massive). P.M. Justin Trudeau of Canada, a very good guy, doesn’t like saying that Canada has a Surplus vs. the U.S.(negotiating), but they do...they almost all do...and that’s how I know!